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Senioreditor
and so the Dodgers injuries begin…………
baseball714
that just means we will see De Leon and Urias sooner 🙂
chri
I just don’t see how some people can still be so high on the Dodgers. There is no sure bet in that rotation after Kershaw (although Kazmir may be a true 3-4 starter), Ryu and Anderson have injury issues and Maeda has never thrown a pitch in MLB. I just dont see how the highest spending team lets a top 5 pitcher in the game go to a division rival (and its not like the D-Backs grossly overpaid).
That lineup is too “Jekyl and Hyde” especially with Pederson and Grandal, and Gonzalez and Ethier are 34. Puig needs to rebound big-time, Seager needs to step up and Pederson needs some consistency IMO if that team wants to score.
That bullpen other than Jansen is sketchy too although Montas may provide value by mid-season.
TLDR: I could see this team winning another NL West title or missing the playoffs to be honest. But I’m taking the Giants for the West as of now. After all, its an even year.
reignaado
Maeda hasn’t pitched in the big leagues yet, yes. But he did face-off against the MLB all-stars back in 2014 and was masterful in that game… with Japan winning 2-0 against MLB… you can watch the video here: youtube.com/watch?v=v2kbFqXwwJQ. I know he’ll do well this upcoming season.
sigurd 2
The MLB “All Stars” from 2014 also had Drew Butera and Eduardo Nunez on their roster.
It’s a scrimmage game.
reignaado
At least he has experience facing them, and that’s all that matters. He really learned a lot in that tourney facing some very well known Major leaguers. There’s still room for improvement, and he will improve.
sigurd 2
I don’t think Maeda will be bad, I wanted to provide context to that situation.
sigurd 2
Also though I know it has no relevance to Maeda pitching well that game, here was the hilariously bad 2014 “MLB All Star” pitching roster:
Pitchers
38 United States Jeff Beliveau
13 United States Jerry Blevins
26 United States Chris Capuano
36 United States Randy Choate
11 United States Jeremy Guthrie
29 United States Tommy Hunter
18 Japan Hisashi Iwakuma
35 United States Mark Melancon
56 Venezuela Franklin Morales
53 United States Hector Santiago
52 United States Matt Shoemaker
41 Dominican Republic José Veras
67 Japan Tsuyoshi Wada
47 United States Rob Wooten
fred-3
“There is no sure bet in that rotation after Kershaw (although Kazmir may be a true 3-4 starter)”
They have about 8 guys after Kershaw, Kazmir, Maeda, Anderson Wood. Ryu, who will be ready in May-ish, McCarthy in June, Urias, Montas, De Leon, Cotton in the high minors, Bolsinger and Beachy as depth with minor league options. They can also make a trade for a high-end starter with the amount of prospects they have.
They have weaknesses if you look hard enough, but they mostly have contingency plans for everything.
fred-3
Could say they have too much depth. If Urias or De Leon pitches well in the minors, he’s going to be blocked by lesser ceiling pitchers like Anderson and McCarthy.
baseball714
-Greinke’s average salary rates significantly higher than any in Major League Baseball history, not sure if this qualifies as getting overpaid but just putting it out there
stymeedone
Yes, it’s an overpay. It makes Verlander’s contract look like a bargain.
chri
I just think if you’re a contending team with more financial muscle than anyone else, you have to go 6 years for Greinke and just hope the last two years aren’t terrible.
Heck this is the same team that picked up Carl Crawfords contract when it still had 5 years on it
gkrake
Yeah, and look at how Crawford has worked out.
That’s the reason the Dodgers decided against the overpay on Greinke. Also, look at what the D-backs paid him. The Dodgers would have had to pay significantly more than that due to the California tax system that Arizona doesn’t have. If you don’t think Greinke was an overpay, add the 20% the Dodgers would have had to pay to better the D-backs offer and ask the question again.
Blue_Painted_Dreams_LA
The overall productivity of the rotation will depend on the health of Ryu, which Wood shows up this year, and if Maeda can maintain his pin point control and health throughout a 162 game season. At some point, DeLeon will make his debut. I think Urias will be brought up when rosters expand. Fans forget how good Ryu actually was especially in the playoffs. The pen isn’t so much of an issue as many have made it to be at this point. Garcia showed flashes last year. I think Hatches showing after injury is the truer version of who he is. I’d be more fearful of an injury to Jansen or Hatch. Montas, Cotton, and Sierra may have their opportunities sooner rather than later if Baez and Garcia can’t take that next step. The lineup when healthy will be solid. It won’t be flashy, but solid. The Dodgers though can ill afford to lose Turner and Gonzo for an extended period of time though. I’m glad Pederson failed in the second half. It was easy to see that him selling out for his power wasn’t going to lead to long term success and he had to address that this offseason. Grandal was one of the best catchers until he was injured. I’m higher on this team than most. This is not the same team that will be there come trade deadline. Granted Grienke was a loss you can’t really quantify but at this point I think every team has those questions. They can’t really be as injured as last year can they? That being said this is going to be a fun nl west to watch this year unless it isn’t.
Out of place Met fan
Regarding Greinke; just because a team can win a bidding war doesn’t mean that they should. They had a max number and demonstrated restraint not going beyond it.
BlueSkyLA
Why ask some good questions, then pull the “even year” thing?
chri
The even year thing was meant to be in jest.
jd396
“mildly macabre Dodgers injury theme”
Well played.
kckid
The Royals are going to miss “The Shark”. Lol
stymeedone
First, it was the small ballpark, then it was the bad defense behind him, and now it is the trade rumors. I would have more faith in “the Shark’s” rebound if he actually admitted he sucked last year, instead of finding excuses. It might be why, despite his tools, he doesn’t live up to the hype.
Larry D.
“Lifeless… Like a doll’s eyes…”
stephaniepetagno
Ryu – the new Jason Schmidt? A guy the Dodgers medical staff whiffed badly on and whose contract soon became lamentable.
BlueSkyLA
Naturally, because Ryu is the first pitcher to miss a season due to injury.
Blue_Painted_Dreams_LA
His contract isn’t crippling by any means. It’s pretty team friendly.
Cachhubguy
I think Samardzija has a chance for a good year. Don Cooper is big on his guys throwing the cutter. Samardzija threw more cutters and sliders. He threw 15% less fastballs. If he gets back to his fastball and splitter, he should have a much better year.
gilgunderson
Agreed. If there’s any place he can tap into any unrealized potential he has, it’s with the Giants. Great coaching staff who will get him back to working from his strengths, excellent defense behind him and one of the best receivers in the game to throw to, and a pitcher-friendly home field.
Vinny Time
What has not been addressed… after Kershaw would you trust any of these starters to pitch a playoff game.=? How did that go last year? You need quality not just a bunch of middling starters with injury histories. In the playoffs you go against another team’s best. I don’t trust anyone after Kershaw and even Kershaw has a shaky playoff history. How did Kazmir do for the Astros during their playoff run? He tanked. These middling starters may be ok during the regular season but face a quality team, no way.
AidanVega123
That situation with Rosales actually happened in 2013, I believe.